


Don't Look Back

by ChrysCare, NekoKnyght



Series: Don't look back [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One, Transformers: Prime
Genre: F/M, Halloween, M/M, Scary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 5,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2402897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrysCare/pseuds/ChrysCare, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoKnyght/pseuds/NekoKnyght
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something is prowling around the ark. It's not Prowl. It's not Jazz. No one can see it, no one except Red Alert. Is it all in his head, or is there something that is haunting the Ark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Note 1

Red Alert scans through the monitors of the Ark. Something was off, he just knew it. Something big and something bad was going to happen. He flicks through the screens, a human second passes. One screen catches his attention and covers the wall of monitors. In the far edge of the camera screen is a tall thin human like being. It was just standing there. 

“Someone, investigate a possible intruder in sector thirteen,” Red Alert says as he stares at the black humanoid. 

:ETA one minute,: Prowl replies. 

At least Prowl would deal with the intruder how it’s recommended. Red Alert watches as the flashing lights illuminate the corner, Prowl transforms and scans the area.

:I see nothing,: Prowl looks at the camera. Red Alert frowns as he sees Prowl standing right behind the being.

:It’s at your pedes,: Red Alert watches Prowl glance down. Prowl’s neutral expression never wavers. 

:I see nothing,: Prowl kneels to the ground. He passes his servo over the floor. White servo passes right through the being.

:Hound, what is your location?: Red Alert asks.

:Uh . . . with Mirage . . . in his quarters,: Hound says immediately.

:You answered too quick.:

:Red, he is with me, you interrupted . . . something,: Mirage states.

:Do you have your hologram projector?:

:We are currently using it,: Mirage sighs. :Bye.:

Red Alert stares at the screen.

:I see no intruder or for that matter anyone here,: Prowl looks at the camera.

:It’s right in front of you,: Red Alert shakes his helm.

:I see the hallway,: Prowl turns and walks away. Red Alert continues to stare at the being. The camera feed jumps and the creature appears a fraction closer. Static fills the monitors; the crackle of white noise fills the small security room. When the hallway comes back, the creature is closer. Red Alert stands and goes to the door. He types in his code, the security room goes dark. The only light comes from his optics. He turns to the monitor as it flickers. The black creature stands in the center of the hallway. White noise fills the surrounding eight monitors around the center. The feed blacks out. The creature covers the whole center monitor. White noise flickers and the creature appears in the eight monitors. Red Alert backs to the door, spark pulsing fast as all the monitors are covered in white noise. The creature appears in all the monitors. Every security device in the room starts beeping and flickering. The screens black out. The center screen flickers on, followed by the others. The black creature appears holding a note. 

You have thirteen days.

The screens go black and the door opens. Red Alert falls on his back, twitching.


	2. Note 2

Silence is the first thing he notices as his systems online and his HUD flickers to life. The second sound is the constant hum, his lullaby, the sound he knows almost as well as his creators’ sparks. It’s the sound of the spark monitor running which meant his Sire was watching over him. It meant he was in the safety of the med-bay. Unlike other bots, he loved the med-bay, the cleanliness, the order, and even the Ark’s orange walls. Most of the living quarters and main areas were painted over with human paint; Ratchet opted to leave it the orange that most mech hated. 

Lying on the med-berth, he knows nothing will harm him. Nothing could come and scare him. His glitch never acted up in here. Relaxing every cable in his body, listening to the hum of the spark monitor, he slowly falls into a light recharge. Systems start shutting down, HUD flickers and slowly dims.

A high frequency buzz causes his systems to flare online, he tries moving but his limbs won’t work. He tries screaming out, something is choking him. Something is crushing his vocodor. Spark monitor beeps as his spark pounds in his chest. HUD lights pulse to his spark.

“Ratchet!” Red Alert screams, panting as he jumps up to sit on the edge of the berth. The red and white medic runs into the main room from his office. A frown on his face as blue optics meet. The smaller red and white frame rattles as Red Alert sits on the berth. 

“What is it, Red?” Ratchet steps up to the small mech. Red servos taking the smaller gray.

“There was a noise,” Red Alert frowns up at the medic. “It was coming to get me.”

“Red, there is nothing in here to get you,” Ratchet cups the small helm. He pulls the young mech’s helm to his chest. Red Alert clings to his Sire’s frame. 

“But . . . but Prowl didn’t see it!” Red Alert starts twitching, Ratchet sighs and gathers the small mech in his arms. 

“Come on,” Ratchet carries the trembling mech into his office. Red Alert curls up on Ratchet’s lap as the medic sits. “This wouldn’t have anything to do about your Carrier? Your phase of thinking your Carrier was trying to reprogram you?”

“N-no,” Red Alert shakes his helm.

“Good, your Carrier isn’t scary or going to reprogram you. He’s only scary if you scratch his paint job.”

Red Alert laughs a little and sighs.

“Do you want to tell me what made you glitch?” Ratchet asks.

“It was tall and black and thin,” Red Alert twitches. “It had a note that said . . . that said I had thirteen days.”

“I have a feeling I know what you’re talking about,” Ratchet sighs, opening a comm. with the twins. :Get your soon to be toaster afts in the med-bay.:

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker run into Ratchet’s office. 

“Are you trying to scare your brother?” Ratchet glares at the twins.

“No,” Sunstreaker says.

“Are you pulling a prank on him?”

“No,” Sideswipe says shakily. 

“If I find out you’re lying—“ Ratchet holds a wrench up for them to see.”

“Okay, okay, fine,” Sideswipe holds up his servos. “We borrowed Wheeljack’s holoform-hologram thing projector. We’re sorry.”

“Prowl will be down to—“

“Prowl’s in on it,” Sunstreaker says. 

“What?” Ratchet glares before pinching the bridge of his nasal plate. :Jazz, will you escort your bondmate to the brig?:

:What’d he do?: Jazz laughs over the comm.. :Did he skip a check-up?:

:He pulled a prank.:

:Oh . . . uh, you do remember what happened last time, right?:

:Your spawn never shuts up,: Ratchet continues to glare at the twins. :Ironhide, detain Prowl and put him in the brig.:

:Did he skip a check-up?: Ironhide chuckles over the comm..

:Will you just throw him in the brig, now! Then you can stay there and sign Sunshine and Sideprocessor in the brig.: “Ironhide awaits.”

“Yes, Sire,” Sideswipe sighs and turns to walk out of the med-bay.

“Sunstreaker, I know you miss your Carrier but please don’t take it out on your brother.”

“He’s the reason Carrier left us!” Sunstreaker yells.

“Your Carrier left to keep us safe!” Ratchet throws the wrench by Sunstreaker’s helm. The mech flinches, meeting soft blue optics as he looks away from his Sire. “Do you know what your Sire went through?”

“The gladiator pits in Stanix,” Sunstreaker frowns.

“They are worse than Kaon,” Ratchet growls. “He came home depleted of energy, missing an arm, a leg, half his helm most orns. Those were the good orns.”

“I’m sorry,” Sunstreaker sighs and turns to the door. He looks over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Red.”

“Now that that is taken care of, you can go back to your security room.”

Red Alert nods and walks back into the security room. Electricity trickles down his back like someone is watching him. He types in his code and presses his servo against the scanning pad before the door opens. He walks into the small room and sighs as the door locks. He sits in his chair. A yellow piece of paper catches his attention. 

Don’t look or it takes you.

:They did it again.:

:They won’t be doing it anymore. I will put them in light medical stasis so that they can think about what they did.:


	3. Note 3

Silence, peaceful, safe silence. Fans whirl, breaking the silence. He onlines, HUD flickering on and the blackness surrounds him. Spark pulse quickens with the HUD lights in sync. Optics flick back and forth in the sockets to see anything. A strangled whimper comes from somewhere in the room. 

Oh, that was him.

Red Alert’s systems finish onlining and he jumps up in berth. He pants as he looks around, thermal blanket clutched tightly in his servos. He wirelessly turns on the lights which come on to their last setting, the day setting. He shields his optics as the overload of light blinds him and burns his sensor chips. He cycles his optics, falling back on less advanced sensor chips while his self-repair system fixes the other. 

The room looks the same as it did when he initiated recharge. Like Ratchet’s quarters connected to the med-bay, his is connected to the security room. But unlike Ratchet’s where there was a door to the rest of the Ark, his did not. He takes a few vents before lying down on the berth, thermal blanket magnetized to his frame. 

The lights dim to a soft glow. Systems quiet as recharge initiates. Temperature systems turn on standby. Ventilation slows, making his optics dim. Energon flow slows. Spark pulse stops at a steady pulse every three human minutes. HUD display slowly fades into black and the silence returns. 

 

Electricity dances across his sensory net, small pings map out his frame. Processing systems online before anything else, optics follow before the HUD display pops up. The dim room comes into focus. Shadows crawl up the walls, towering over him. The sound of something dripping echoes in his audios. Spark pulses fast as he looks around. He whimpers but no sound comes. He glances at the end of his berth. A tall, dark thin being stands there. He screams but nothing comes, only the dripping liquid. Pounding causes him to jump, the rest of his systems online at once, pain shoots through his processor. He screams as alarms go off in the security room. Mechs yelling causes him to whimper and he pulls the thermal blanket over his helm. The lights brighten and heavy pedes come into the room. He whimpers quietly as the berth dips on one side. 

“Red,” a calm voice says. 

“S-Sire?”

“Yes, Red, your safe, I along with Optimus and Ironhide are here,” Ratchet says. “Will you uncover your helm?”

Red Alert shakes his helm. 

“Red Alert, you are safe,” Optimus Prime’s calm voice eases Red Alert’s trembles. 

“S-Sire, are you sure there isn’t anything in here?”

“Why don’t you look?” Ratchet lays a servo on Red Alert’s leg. “Ironhide will make sure no one will harm you.”

“O-Okay,” Red Alert shakily lowers the blanket. Peeking out, he sees Ratchet sitting on the edge of the berth, Optimus Prime stands by the door and Ironhide stands between the berth and the door with his guns out. 

“See anything, kid?” Ironhide asks, Red Alert shakes his helm.

“Do you think you can go back to recharge?” Ratchet asks.

“I-I don’t . . . I don’t want . . . to be alone,” Red Alert twitches. “I . . . I want . . . I want Carrier and you.”

“Carrier can’t be here,” Ratchet frowns. “Would you take the sound of a spark like his?”

Red Alert nods as he scrambles over to Ratchet, thermal blanket magnetized to his servo. 

“Who is his Carrier?” Optimus Prime asks. “We could—“

“It’s not that simple,” Ratchet sighs and stands with Red Alert clinging to his frame. “Ironhide, thank you for your assistance. Optimus . . . would you mind following me?”

“Whatever you need, old friend,” Optimus Prime follows Ratchet out of the security room and to the medic’s quarters. 

“Out of all the Autobots, your spark is the most like his Carrier,” Ratchet says. “It’s a frequency deeper but it’s almost the same.”

“I will tell Elita,” Optimus Prime glances at Red Alert.

:Don’t be surprise if he clings to you,: Ratchet unlocks his door and leads the Prime in.

:Ratchet, you can tell me who his Carrier is,: Optimus Prime says. :If he’s dea-:

:He’s a Decepticon,: Ratchet lies down on the berth. Red Alert glances over at the Prime. Optimus Prime sits on the berth before lying on his back beside Red Alert. Red Alert turns over and wraps his arms tightly around the Prime’s waist, audio pressed against the red and blue chest plates. 

Optimus Prime glances at Ratchet who is already in recharge. He falls into recharge soon afterward. Red Alert initiates recharge, something catches his attention. Something glows on the wall. In blue Energon. 

Always Watching

Darkness consumes him, except the two words burned into his optical sensor chips.


	4. Note 4

“Carrier!” Red Alert clicks as he runs, arms open wide toward the red and silver mech.

“Hey, little Red,” the mech smiles and grabs the red and white sparkling. Red Alert giggles as he is spun around.

“You’re going to make him sick,” Ratchet glares as he walks up to the mech. 

“You wouldn’t get sick,” the mech asks as he cuddles the sparkling close. Red Alert shakes his helm as he lays it on the red chest. “Breakdown says I’m in.”

“I wish you didn’t have to do this,” Ratchet frowns.

“The rebels are getting closer.”

“Knockout, I’ve put my application in for the Autobots.”

“Do you really think the mechs under the Prime will win? The Prime stands by the council.”

“It would be better than getting slagged every orn. They have a position for medic assistant. You could join.”

“And be an Autobot? Unlikely. I wouldn’t step anywhere near those council loving mechs if they were the last ones on Cyberton.”

Red Alert onlines to someone moving underneath him, a red and blue chest comes into view. He looks up to see the Prime still in recharge. Ratchet’s side of the berth is empty. Red Alert glances at the wall; the writing is gone with no trace of it. Red Alert frowns and slides off the Prime’s frame, the thermal blanket slides of his frame as he gets off the berth. He walks over to the wall and scrapes his fingers over it. 

“What are you doing, Red?” Ratchet asks as he walks in. 

“Was there something on the wall this morning?”

“No, nothing was on the wall,” Ratchet frowns and puts his servos on the smaller mech’s shoulders. “Do you need to take some time off?”

“I . . . what if the Decepticons come and the base is overrun—“

“Why don’t we have Prowl on security watch, Ultra Magnus can do his paperwork and you can take some time off and roam the country side.”

“O-okay, just comm. me if there’s anything you need or if there’s anything anyone needs. Or if the base is overrun by—“

“Red,” Ratchet turns the young mech around. “Just go.”

“O-okay,” Red Alert nods and walks out of the room. He glances around as he makes his way to the base gate. The prickling feeling along his backstrut grows with every step toward the human made gate. He glances over his shoulder and scans his surroundings. Nothing suspicious within view, folding down to his alt-mode he slowly pulls up to the gate. 

Once outside the base he turns his sensors up to full power, extends his neutral EM-field and runs a radar scan every two seconds. 

If Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were the ones who pranked him before, shouldn’t the pranks stop? But if Prowl was on security watch, he would have access to his security room. 

:Sire, I don’t want Prowl in my security room,: Red Alert says.

:Blaster, will be there,: Ratchet says. 

Red Alert pulls out on the interstate, cars pass by him and he makes his way to a small meadow only a few Autobots knew about. He transforms in the peaceful meadow, the sunlight shimmers on the surface of the small pond. Butterflies flutter around him, grass blows like waves on the ocean, leaves rustle and Red Alert lies in the center of the meadow. He listens to the birds. A twig breaks and he looks over to the woods.

“Thought I’d find you here,” someone says and Red Alert jumps up. The red mech’s paint shimmers in the sunlight. Red optics brighten when Red Alert scrambles away. “Red?”

“Carrier?” Red Alert shakes and Knockout kneels beside the red and white mech. 

“What’s wrong?” Knockout asks, servo sliding over the mech’s shoulder. 

“Something wants to kill me,” Red Alert frowns and wraps his arms around Knockout’s waist. 

“Surely not the other Autobots,” Knockout pulls the small mech on his lap and rubs the red helm. 

“No, a . . . a monster,” Red Alert presses his audio against Knockout’s chest. 

“Why don’t you just go into recharge, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” Knockout lies back on the ground. “The twins aren’t giving you a hard time, are they?”

Red Alert nods.

“I might have to have a word with them then,” Knockout says as Red Alert starts to fall into recharge. 

 

Red Alert onlines to the soft pitter patter of rain on his frame. A message pops up on his HUD: Had to leave, Megatron called. 

Red Alert rubs his helm as he sits up. He stares at the ground. The water sits in strangely shaped puddles. He stands and looks at the group of puddles. One is shaped like an “f” another like an “o”. Two straight lines are beside that. Another “o”, One that looks like a “w”. An “I” shaped, with an “n” after and finally a “g” shaped one. The puddles closest to him look like they spell out “you”. 

“Following you,” Red Alert says and frowns. “What does it mean?”

‘It’s coming to get you.’

“Huh?” Red Alert looks around the meadow. Something stands among the trees. Something black with a white head. Red Alert screams and transforms.


	5. Note 5

Red Alert slides to the floor of the security room. 

‘It’s one thing to see it on the security feed but up close . . .’ Red Alert shudders, arms wrapped around his waist. ‘From the information Sire gave me it was only supposed to be a little taller than a human. This was about as tall as me.’

Red Alert offlines his optics, forehelm resting on his knees. The slight tingle of electricity starts creeping over his frame. The sensors on the back of his helm start sending readings. He onlines his optics, his legs come into view. Something was watching him. It was in here with him. Impossible. He changed all the locks to the security room, resealed all the ventilation covers, scrubbed the entire surface of the security room and his quarters clean and checked for cameras. 

Red Alert takes a deep vent before raising his helm. He glances to the left. Nothing. Straight ahead. Nothing. To the right. Something. Red Alert jumps away from the large beady eyed, eight legged creature standing only a few feet away from him. Pounding on the door makes him scream and Ratchet knocks the door down. 

“What is it?” Ratchet asks as he looks around the room. Red Alert points to the creature staring at him with two lines of four eyes staring blankly at him. The long gray haired legs slowly move it closer. Ratchet looks in the direction Red Alert is pointing. “I don’t see anything.”

“It-it’s right there,” Red Alert’s servo shakes as it walks closer. 

“Red Alert, there is nothing here,” Ratchet kneels beside the trembling mech. “Do you trust me?”

Red Alert nods as he stares with bright optics.

“Offline your optics,” Ratchet says. Red Alert offlines his optics and screams when he’s jolted. “You’re safe, I got you.”

“S-sire,” Red Alert grabs onto Ratchet’s armor. 

“What was it?” Ratchet rubs Red Alert’s back.

“A spider. A large spider.”

Red Alert onlines his optics to see the security room doorway growing smaller. He gasps as he sees something spelling out “No Escape”. He focuses his optics and magnetizes the view. He screams when he realizes the letters are spelled out with the large spiders. A few seconds later the spiders start to crawl after them. 

“Red!” Ratchet yells as Red Alert’s frame falls limp in his arms.


	6. Note 6

Red Alert sits on the med-berth as Ratchet takes inventory. Optimus Prime walks into the room and sits on the berth beside Red Alert. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened in the security room yesterday?” Optimus Prime asks. Red Alert shakes his helm and looks over at Ratchet. “I can’t help if you won’t tell me—“

“There was nothing there,” Red Alert frowns and wrings his servos. “Ratchet says there’s nothing wrong with my optics. I just . . .”

“You just what?” 

“I just saw . . .”

“Red, if you’re seeing things there may be another explanation than what you are thinking,” Optimus Prime rests a servo on Red Alert’s shoulder. 

“I saw it,” Red Alert starts trembling. 

“Saw what?”

“It . . . that thing . . . “

“What thing?”

“Slender man,” Ratchet says, holding out a data-pad with the information. 

“It’s bigger than you said,” Red Alert wraps his arms around himself. “It’s as big as me.”

“You’re a runt,” Ratchet looks at Red Alert.

“Now Ratchet, that is no way to speak to your creation,” Optimus Prime says while reading over the information. 

“Well, he is,” Ratchet turns away to finish the inventory list. 

“He’s as big as Bumblebee,” Optimus Prime says. 

“He’s a runt,” Ratchet says.

“I’m right here,” Red Alert bows his helm and looks at the ground. 

“We’ll heighten patrols, it could be the Decepticons working on a new weapon,” Optimus Prime says. 

“They got into his quarters,” Ratchet frowns. “Do you know how many security clearances you need to unlock that door? You need a spark scan just to get the keypad!”

“In any means, we will enhance security in the ark,” Optimus Prime says. 

“I’m going to go into recharge,” Red Alert hops off the berth and disappears into Ratchet’s quarters. A note lies on the berth, Red Alert stops a few feet from it and starts to shake. He takes a couple deep vents before reaching for the note. 

Sees All

Red Alert crumples the page up and jumps under the thermal blanket.


	7. Note 7

Red Alert turns over on the berth, optics online for a second. A deep red fills his vision for a split second before blackness returns.

 

He slowly onlines out of recharge, every system coming online before his optics. His EM Field mixes with another’s and he onlines his optics. Red fills his vision, the sound of a spark pulse he’s known for his entire existence comes from the mech.

“Carrier?” Red Alert looks up.

“Hey, little Red,” Knockout smiles.

“What are you doing here?” 

“Can I not see my creation?

“You’re a Decepticon,” Red Alert frowns. 

“I can be sneaky.”

“What about the Autobots?”

“Red, who are you talking to?” Ratchet stands in the doorway. Red Alert glances at his Sire.

“Carrier?” Red Alert glances back at Knockout. A smirk comes to the Decepticon’s face. Red Alert scrambles off the berth and runs past Ratchet. He slams into someone and crashes to the floor. Something flickers on the ceiling. Something green. 

Can’t Run


	8. Note

“Red?” Ratchet walks up to the small mech sitting in the corner of the med-bay. “You need your Energon ration for today. You didn’t have any yesterday.”

“I don’t want any,” Red Alert pulls his legs closer to his chest.

“If you never get Energon, you’ll fall into stasis.”

“Then it’ll be over.”

“Red, there is nothing after you,” Ratchet kneels in front of the red and white mech. 

“Tell the scorpions over there,” Red Alert points to the large scorpions staring at him. Ratchet glances over to where Red Alert points.

“There is nothing there,” Ratchet frowns. 

“Because it’s after me,” Red Alert looks up to his Sire. “It’s going to deactivate me. There’s nothing you can do.”

“Red, you are my creation, I’m going to do everything in my power to—“

“You can’t even see it,” Red Alert looks at the scorpions. “I give up. I’m tired of running, of being scared. If the Decepticons have a new weapon, we’re all doomed anyway.”

“Red, it’s not going to get you,” Ratchet pulls the young mech’s helm up. 

“Leave me alone,” Red Alert pushes Ratchet away as he stands. He walks out of the med-bay. 

“Knockout, I need you here,” Ratchet sighs and looks at the spot where Red Alert said something was. He filters through the wavelengths until something appears. A wisp of purple energy flows out the door. Ratchet follows it to Red Alert’s security room where it goes right through the door.


	9. Note 8, 9 and 10

Red Alert sits at the security console, sighing as he looks over the monitors. Something catches his attention to his right. A data-pad flickers to life with a message on it. 

Do you want to be friends?

Red Alert frowns and looks around the room for anything. Nothing. He looks back at the monitors. 

Play?

Red Alert glances around the room, nothing is in here with him. 

“What do you want?” Red Alert asks. Silence.

Red Alert frowns and picks up the data-pad to type his question when the screen blacks out and two words fill the screen. 

You’re it.

The lights flicker off and the monitors fill with white noise. Pounding on the door causes Red Alert to jump and fall on the console. The entire security system falls off the table with Red Alert as it breaks. Ratchet opens the door to see Red Alert on the ground with wires and monitors falling around him. 

“What happened?” Ratchet asks. 

“It wants to play,” Red Alert flinches and falls into stasis. Ratchet looks around the room to see it covered in the energy wisps.


	10. Note 11

“Let me get this straight, the creature you kept saying was trying to kill you just wants to play?” Ratchet pinches the bridge of his nasal plate. “I don’t . . . have you lost your processor? You were scared to death before.”

“I’ve been looking at it all wrong,” Red Alert smiles and takes Ratchet’s servos. “It has never truly endangered me.”

“On the berth now,” Ratchet points to the med-berth.

 

Ratchet finishes sorting through Red Alert’s processor. One fried logic chip, one shorted emotional chip, fifty different security measures that show nothing when he claimed he’s seen something and the sensor cortex is on level high.

“No wonder you’ve been seeing things,” Ratchet shakes his helm. “You’ve been creating things out of thin air.”

 

Red Alert onlines slowly, every system boots up before his optics. He hears the constant hum of the spark monitor. His lullaby. His Sire was close. That meant everything was fine. Electricity trickles over his back. Sensors turn up and he feels a gentle ghosting breeze over his armor. He glances around the darkened med-bay, must be night. He spots something dark in the corner. 

“Sire?” Red Alert sits up and stares at the being. Nothing. Warnings pop up on his HUD. Unexplained interference. Shift in magnetic field. Something was drawing energy. He stares at the dark being, pulse beginning to race. Something black appears from behind it. The long, thin, black as an abyss tentacles fan out and raise the being off the ground. The being moves forward, slowly at first, minutes pass by with each step. Gradually the time between steps gets shorter until it’s walking at normal pace. Soon it’s climbing over a berth, tentacles attach to the ceiling. It jumps, launching itself toward his berth. Toward him.

 

Red Alert sits up on the berth panting. He glances around the brightly lit room. Ratchet sits beside his berth in deep recharge. He looks to the corner. Nothing is there. Relaxing back down on the berth, he sighs. He looks over to his Sire. The black thing is there. 

The abyss-like creature, white faced, tentacle being stands right behind Ratchet. One tentacle is wrapped around his neck. Long, thin claws scrape along Ratchet’s helm. 

A piece of paper falls from the ceiling.

Almost there.

Red Alert looks back at Ratchet. Nothing but Ratchet is there.


	11. Note

:Autobots, transform and roll out!: Optimus Prime says. Red Alert transforms and follows Ratchet. Electricity slowly jumps from sensor to sensor, every hundred feet it gets worse. The Autobots transform at the power station, the Decepticons start firing.

Red Alert transforms, glancing around he sees something dark jump behind the building as Prime runs toward Megatron. He runs after it, gun in servo. He turns around the corner. The shadow disappears around the hanger. 

Red Alert runs around the corner, a Decepticon stands frozen in place. The black tentacle being stands in front of him. In the daylight, the creature looks shinier than just black. Hints of purple highlight the frame. It was definitely Cybertronian. 

It jumps around the Decepticon, tentacles wrap around the mech’s frame.

“Help me,” the Decepticon cries out to Red Alert. The red and white Autobot stands frozen in place as the tentacles constrict around the Decepticon. In one swift moment, the Decepticon’s screams are cut off and replaced by the popping of joints dislocating. The grayed pieces of frame pile up at the creature’s feet. Red Alert glances up at the creature. The creature stares at him before lunging at him. Tentacles spiral out, Red Alert screams. 

The creature passes right through. A mech’s scream comes from behind him. Red Alert turns in time to see the creature pull out the Decepticon’s spark.

“Mine,” the creature says, voice reverberating around Red Alert. Energon runs cold as the creature crushes the spark in his long clawed hand. It looks at him.

Red Alert pants on the ground as it comes closer. Clawed hand reaching out.

“Red!” Ratchet yells. The creature stops, Red Alert looks over his shoulder as his Sire and Carrier run up. He glances ahead of him. Nothing.

“Did you do this?” Knockout asks.

“I-it did this,” Red Alert shakes; Knockout kneels beside him and rubs the small mech’s shoulder. “W-what about the Autobots?”

“Optimus is letting him stay,” Ratchet says.


	12. Note 12

Red Alert holds on tightly to his Carrier’s frame as the red mech runs through the streets of Iacon. Smoke rises around them, Seekers fly over helm. The sparkling cries as thunderous booms rattle the ground. A building explodes a couple of blocks away. Metal fragments rain down around them. 

“Knockout!” someone yells. Carrier runs over to the blue and white mech as the building behind them crumbles. 

“Can you take him to his Sire in Iacon Medical Center?” Knockout asks as he hands the sparkling over to the mech.

“Who is his Sire, the Center’s gone,” the mech says.

“Ratchet,” Knockout hands the mech a blanket and small cube of Energon.

“The CMO of the Autobots?” the mech asks. 

“Yes,” Knockout looks up at the Decepticon. “It was before the war. I don’t want the Decepticons to know.”

“I know,” Soundwave says. 

“Please, I’ll do anything,” Knockout looks at Red Alert. 

“Shockwave is planning on changing circuits in Decepticon processors to more efficiently serve Megatron. As a host to cassettes, my emotion cortex is larger than others are. I need you to create a frame and processor for it.”

“How—“

“Do it or your sparkling deactivates right now,” Soundwave says.

“Fine, any preferences?”

“Purple,” Soundwave says and walks away.

“Purple?” Knockout stares at the spot where the Decepticon disappeared.

 

Red Alert curls up to Knockout’s side. The Decepticon trails his fingers over the young mech’s helm.

“It copied you,” Red Alert says.

“Did it have a flawless finish?” Knockout smirks.

“I-I don’t know,” Red Alert lays his helm on the red mech’s shoulder. 

“You do know you can tell me anything, Red,” Knockout says. 

“I know,” Red Alert says. “I’m scared. I don’t know what it wants.”

“What do you know about it?”

“It can make me see things,” Red Alert frowns. “It doesn’t care about locks. No one else can see it. It went right through me. It killed two Decepticons. It leaves notes for me to see and then they’re gone. And it has tentacles.”

“Sounds like someone I knew.”

“Who?”

“He’s long lost now,” Knockout says. 

“Why would it want to hurt me?”

“I don’t know,” Knockout frowns. 

 

Red Alert sits in the med-bay. Ratchet cleans the equipment while Knockout polishes his armor. The data-pad in his servo flickers on. 

I’m behind you.

Red Alert looks up. Knockout and Ratchet were preoccupied. He looks over his shoulder. It stands there, claws nearly touching his shoulder. Red Alert flinches and optics dim. Knockout jumps as Red Alert crashes to the floor.


	13. Note 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want more, leave a comment.

Red Alert onlines on the med-berth, railings are locked in place along the sides. Everything is quiet.

"Sire? Carrier?" the light in Ratchet's room flickers on. The door opens and Knockout quietly closes it behind him.

"You want to tell me what made you fall off the berth?" Knockout asks as he lowers one side of the railings. 

"It was behind me."

"Nothing, other than you, me and Ratchet was in the room."

"You can't see it."

"Red, this isn't the first time you've claimed to see something," Knockout sits on the berth beside the smaller mech. "When you were little, you used to talk to someone you named Sonar. I thought it was cute. Your Sire was worried though."

"What happened?"

"We got you a doll, I have it still," Knockout holds out the little purple doll, long, thin blade-like arms, long thin fingers, a spiky helm crest, a black visor that lights up. The back of the doll slides away to reveal ten curled up cords. "You used to hang Sonar up in the doorway and scare us."

"Sonar looks like it."

"Do you remember when Soundwave took you to Sire?"

Red Alert nods.

"He made me help him, I created a clone and I designed it after Sonar."

"It's haunting me!"

"Sonar, the physical Sonar, was lost through a storm," Knockout says. "Sonar, your friend here, is only in your helm."

"But he's not. It killed two Decepticons."

"Do you know what I think," Knockout smiles. "I think you still see me as a Decepticon and you don't want to say that you deactivated someone of my former faction."

"I didn't."

"Why don't you go back to your berthroom and recharge, I'll walk you there," Knockout smiles.

"Okay," Red Alert tightens his grip on his doll. Knockout leads him throught the Ark to the security room. 

"You have my comm. if you need me," Knockout says and glances over his shoulder. No one is in the hallway. He backtracks and finds the doll lying on the floor, visor lit up with a message.

Don't look back.

Knockout looks behind him and sees the lithe figure, tentacles spiral out, visor filled with white noise. 

"Mine," the haunting voice surrounds him before Red Alert's scream fills the Ark.

**Author's Note:**

> Bunny: http://tf-bunny-farm.livejournal.com/407831.html  
> Red Alert has a problem: He keeps seeing a strange, tall, thin, faceless human figure. No one else sees it - Autobot, human or even Decepticon - just Red.
> 
> It also interferes in the Ark's security systems, with unexplained video distortions and failures, and the cameras later show absolutely no faults. Even Red's own internal recordings suffer distortions.
> 
> Red is getting increasingly creeped out and paranoid as incidents increase, and no seems to believe him about the faceless "Slender Man" that is apparently stalking him, even when the creature makes an active move and literally tears apart a Decepticon who does happen to see him. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers


End file.
